diff --git a/api/v1alpha1/conversion_stash.go b/api/v1alpha1/conversion_stash.go
index 0b01322fc85..a2194bedeb7 100644
--- a/api/v1alpha1/conversion_stash.go
+++ b/api/v1alpha1/conversion_stash.go
@@ -8,11 +8,18 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion"
 )
 
 const conversionStashAnnotation = "azure.microsoft.com/convert-stash"
 
+// getStashedAnnotation unmarshals the convert-stash annotation value
+// into the target pointer, if the annotation is present. It returns
+// whether the annotation was present, and any error from unmarshalling.
 func getStashedAnnotation(meta metav1.ObjectMeta, target interface{}) (bool, error) {
+	if _, err := conversion.EnforcePtr(target); err != nil {
+		return false, errors.Errorf("getStashedAnnotation target must be a pointer, not %T", target)
+	}
 	if meta.Annotations == nil {
 		return false, nil
 	}
diff --git a/api/v1alpha1/mysqlaaduser_conversion.go b/api/v1alpha1/mysqlaaduser_conversion.go
index a5a4d101731..b798ca26e50 100644
--- a/api/v1alpha1/mysqlaaduser_conversion.go
+++ b/api/v1alpha1/mysqlaaduser_conversion.go
@@ -91,6 +91,8 @@ func (dst *MySQLAADUser) ConvertFrom(srcRaw conversion.Hub) error {
 	for dbName := range src.Spec.DatabaseRoles {
 		dbNames = append(dbNames, dbName)
 	}
+	// Sorting the list of names for testing (and so that a client
+	// gets a consistent value back for a resource).
 	sort.Strings(dbNames)
 	var (
 		dbName string
diff --git a/api/v1alpha1/mysqluser_conversion.go b/api/v1alpha1/mysqluser_conversion.go
index 4644a873999..5a2c3868785 100644
--- a/api/v1alpha1/mysqluser_conversion.go
+++ b/api/v1alpha1/mysqluser_conversion.go
@@ -95,6 +95,8 @@ func (dst *MySQLUser) ConvertFrom(srcRaw conversion.Hub) error {
 	for dbName := range src.Spec.DatabaseRoles {
 		dbNames = append(dbNames, dbName)
 	}
+	// Sorting the list of names for testing (and so that a client
+	// gets a consistent value back for a resource).
 	sort.Strings(dbNames)
 	var (
 		dbName string